Method and apparatus for mobile monitoring of an interactive service center

ABSTRACT

A method and apparatus for mobile monitoring of an interactive service center (contact center), having a central installation and a multiplicity of terminals for agents processing inquiries, the monitoring being effected by a supervisor using a mobile communication unit.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] Interactive service centers (contact centers) allow high qualityof content for the service at optimum cost. In this context, besides thepure service, factors such as waiting time are crucial to a customer forthe subjective quality of the contact center. The term interactiveservice center is used as a generic term covering, by way of example,pure telephone service centers (call centers), with contact centersinteracting with customers in various ways; for example, by email, SMS,telephone or over the Internet.

[0002] A number of influences increase the complexity of managing thecontact center to the extent that the contact center needs to bemonitored by a supervisor. By way of example, the number of inquiries orthe number of agents processing the inquiries in the contact centervaries unpredictably over time. In addition, the agents are split intogroups and additionally into various service levels.

[0003] As FIG. 2 shows, in a conventional contact center 11, inquiriesfrom the network 8 are forwarded by a central installation 1 toterminals 3-6 for the agents performing the processing. The installation1 manages all incoming inquiries, records the duration and properties ofindividual inquiries and makes statistical evaluations of the waitingtime or disconnection rate, for example. The contact center 11 ismonitored, and possibly controlled, by a supervisor on a monitoring unit2 which displays the recorded or evaluated data from the contact center11.

[0004] If the contact center 11 and its management have already beenoptimized, then the supervisor does not need to monitor it constantly.He/she can use some of his/her working time for other tasks, but needsto check the current state in the contact center 11 on the monitoringunit 2 at regular intervals.

[0005] It is an object of the present invention, therefore, to devise amethod and an arrangement in a contact center such that a supervisor canbe employed for other tasks independently of his/her monitoring andcontrol tasks.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0006] On the basis of the present invention, in an interactive servicecenter (contact center) in which, under the management of a centralinstallation, at least one person (agent) processes inquiries, datarelating to the processing or the management of the processing arerecorded, the recorded data are displayed on a mobile communicationunit, and the displayed data are monitored by a supervisor. According tothe present invention, an apparatus in a contact center includes atleast one terminal for an agent processing inquiries, a centralinstallation which manages the processing of the inquiries, a mobilecommunication unit which displays management data, processing data ordata derived therefrom for the supervisor to monitor, and a unit whichtransmits data for the mobile communication unit. As a result of theinventive method or the inventive apparatus, the supervisor is no longertied to one particular workplace.

[0007] In accordance with one preferred embodiment of the method, therecorded data are used to create supervisory information which isdisplayed on the mobile communication unit. The reduction in theinformation to be monitored facilitates monitoring for the supervisor.

[0008] In accordance with another preferred embodiment of the method,the supervisory information is transmitted to the mobile communicationunit, which reduces the volume of information to be transmitted andavoids creation in the mobile communication unit.

[0009] Preferably, the processing or the management of the processing iscontrolled by the supervisor using the mobile communication unit. Assuch, when necessary, the supervisor is able to intervene in theprocedures in the contact center from any location.

[0010] In accordance with another preferred embodiment of the method,the supervisory information is transmitted to the mobile communicationunit when an appropriate criterion is satisfied. The correct choice ofcriterion allows a critical state to be transmitted to the supervisor insuch good time that the supervisor is able to take countermeasures ingood time before the potential consequences.

[0011] It is particularly expedient for the recorded data or thesupervisory information to be additionally displayed to the supervisorby a fixed unit, since the mobile communication unit then need not be afull technical replacement for the fixed unit. This allows thesupervisory information in the mobile communication unit to be reducedto a necessary degree without limiting the monitoring and controloptions.

[0012] Additional features and advantages of the present invention aredescribed in, and will be apparent from, the following DetailedDescription of the Invention and the Figures.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

[0013]FIG. 1 shows a schematic illustration of an apparatus inaccordance with the teachings of the present invention.

[0014]FIG. 2 shows a schematic illustration of a conventionalinteractive service center.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0015]FIG. 1 shows an interactive service center (contact center) 10having a central installation 1, a fixed monitoring unit 2, terminals3-6 and a mobile monitoring unit 7. The central installation 1 isconnected to the network 8 and to the transmission unit 9. The contactcenter 10 receives an inquiry from the network 8, and this inquiry isswitched in the central installation 1 to the terminal 3-6 of a freeagent. The inquiry is then processed by the agent. The agents and theirterminals 3-6 may be split into groups and additionally into servicelevels according to the type or quality of the service.

[0016] The central installation 1 records all the data in the contactcenter 10 which relate to the processing of the inquiries or tomanagement of the processing, and evaluates these data to producesupervisory information. The supervisory information is displayed for asupervisor on the fixed monitoring unit 2. The supervisory informationis also transmitted wirelessly, using the transmission unit 9, to amobile communication unit 7 for the supervisor, which mobilecommunication unit likewise displays this information. In this context,the transmission unit 9 may be a local mobile telephone system or aninterface to the public mobile radio network, for example.

[0017] On the basis of the supervisory information displayed, thesupervisor can use the mobile communication unit 7 to take controlaction in the contact center. By way of example, he/she can react to anincreased number of inquiries for a group by sending a message to anagent or to the appropriate head of the group to transfer one agent fromone group to another for a short time, or by telling the agents in agroup to process the inquiries as quickly as possible.

[0018] The mobile communication unit 7 also provides the supervisor withthe opportunity to follow individual inquiries as they are handled; forexample, to monitor calls, to follow processing, to exchange messageswith the agents or groups, to remove individual agents from a group orto request additional agents.

[0019] Recorded data or the supervisory information can be transmittedto the mobile communication unit 7 at the supervisor's request atregular intervals of time or when critical values for the supervisoryinformation or recorded data (criteria) are reached, or else may be justsignaled for the last two methods. These embodiments also can be used incombination with one another.

[0020] The supervisory information is created universally in the centralinstallation 1 or in the fixed monitoring unit 2. However, when needed,the supervisor also creates the supervisory information on his/hermobile communication unit 7 and can thus react flexibly to unforeseeablesituations.

[0021] The supervisory information may be the following, for example:number of inquiries in a queue, inquiry disconnection rate, averagedisconnection rate, average waiting time, number of inquiries exceedingtime, oldest inquiry, overview of agent status (free, processing,finishing off, break, etc.), agent overview, short-term statistics,discrepancies from normal values.

[0022] A conceivable mobile communication unit 7 is any mobilecomputer-controlled unit with a display facility; for example, a pager,a mobile telephone, a personal digital assistant or a portable computer.On the basis of one refinement of the mobile communication unit 7, therecorded data and the supervisory information are transmitted as puredata, voice information, text information or image information. For amobile telephone, transmission by short message (SMS) or retrieval usingWAP is possible, for example.

[0023] The inquiries to be processed may be received, by way of example,over the Internet, a public telephone network or a mobile radio network.Considering IP-based telephony, the central installation 1 can be split,by way of example, into a switching unit, an evaluation unit, a CTIserver, a local area network, computers for the agents, a local mobiletelephone network and a customer database.

[0024] Although the present invention has been described with referenceto specific embodiments, those of skill in the art will recognize thatchanges may be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scopeof the invention as set forth in the hereafter appended claims.

1. A method for mobile monitoring of an interactive service centerwhere, under management of a central installation, at least one agentprocesses inquiries, the method comprising the steps of: recording datarelating to at least one of the processing of the inquiries and themanagement of the processing; displaying the recorded data, includingdisplaying the data to a supervisor by a mobile communication unit; andmonitoring the displayed data by the supervisor.
 2. A method for mobilemonitoring of an interactive service center as claimed in claim 1, themethod further comprising the step of using the recorded data to createsupervisory information which is displayed in the mobile communicationunit.
 3. A method for mobile monitoring of an interactive service centeras claimed in claim 2, the method further comprising the step oftransmitting the supervisory information to the mobile communicationunit.
 4. A method for mobile monitoring of an interactive service centeras claimed in claim 2, the method further comprising the steps of:transmitting at least a selection of the recorded data to the mobilecommunication unit; and creating the supervisory information in themobile communication unit.
 5. A method for mobile monitoring of aninteractive service center as claimed in claim 1, the method furthercomprising the step of controlling, by the supervisor using the mobilecommunication unit, at least one of the processing of the inquiries andthe management of the processing.
 6. A method for mobile monitoring ofan interactive service center as claimed in claim 3, wherein thetransmission to the mobile communication unit is wireless.
 7. A methodfor mobile monitoring of an interactive service center as claimed inclaim 2, the method further comprising the step of displaying,additionally, at least one of the recorded data and the supervisoryinformation to the supervisor by a fixed unit.
 8. A method for mobilemonitoring of an interactive service center as claimed in claim 2,wherein the supervisory information is a number of agents available inthe contact center.
 9. A method for mobile monitoring of an interactiveservice center as claimed in claim 3, wherein the transmission to themobile communication unit is effected upon request.
 10. A method formobile monitoring of an interactive service center as claimed in claim3, wherein the transmission to the mobile communication unit is effectedif at least one of the recorded data and the supervisory informationsatisfies an appropriate criterion.
 11. An apparatus in an interactiveservice center, comprising: at least one terminal for processinginquiries via an agent; a central installation for managing theprocessing of the inquiries; a mobile communication monitoring unit fordisplaying at least one of management data, processing data and dataderived therefrom for a supervisor; and a unit for transmitting data forthe mobile communication unit.